Sorting device



y 1945- I H. o. NIEDERER ETAL v 2,374,948

SORTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 19, 1942 F' 1 g INVENTORS HERBERT O. lV/EDEEEE 0770 -c. N/EDEBE/E A Trek/vs Y Patented May 1, 1945 soarmc DEVICE Herbert O-QNiedererand Otto C. Niederer,

' 1 Titusville, N. J.

Application September 19, 1942,Seria1No. 459,032

ol ims. (01.20946) Our invention relates to mechanism for use in sorting elongated or headed articles such as riv ets, nails; bolts,"scr'ewsor the like.

In the manufacture of aeroplanes, many thousands of rivets of different sizes, shapes and types are used. These rivets are small and difficult to handle andas a result many are dropped or spilled by the operators and fall upon the floor. They are then swept up and have to be sorted out in order that they'maybere-used. The sorting operation is extremely tedious and expensive to perform but isvery necessary, par.- ticularly at the present time when aluminum rivets for aircraft manufacture are in great demand and difficult to obtain. v d V In many other instances mixed accumulations of rivets, bolts, nails, screws and the like have to be sorted out foruse. In accordance with ourinvention simple mechanism is provided which serves to sort such accumulations and to divide them into diiferent sizes or classes. This classification is not always complete although it does separate those rivets having a head diameter of onesize from" those having a head diameter of another size. Moreover, in most instances rivets having different types of head are] found to have different head diameter and therefore in practice the sorting of rivets as to head type is effected with a surprising degree of accuracy. d I

In any event if further sorting ofrivetsis required to separate those'of different length for example, the pre-sortedrivets obtained from our device may be passed through one ormore devices such as that shown and described in the vide a novel device for sorting mixed accumulations of objects such as rivets and embodying an inclined tube having circular holes therein through which objects of predetermined diameter may pass.

A further object of our invention is to provide a'rivet sorter or the like which embodies a perforated tube of relatively small diameter as compared with the length of the longest rivets in the accumulation to be sorted.

Another object of our invention is to provide a rivet sorter or the like which embodies a perforated tube and means for turning the rivets within the tube so that they extend acrossrather than lengthwise of the tube. I

Other objects of our invention'are to provide novel feeding means for supplying rivets or the like to a tube and ,to provide a construction which is simple and economical to produce and operate, which requires no skilled labor for the manipulation thereof and which has the ability in a given period of time.

to sort a large number of rivets or other objects These and other objects and features of our invention will appear from the following description thereof in which reference is made to the figures of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

co-pending application ofEdward 'E. 'Garlits, Jr.,

Serial No. 450,929, filed Ju1y14,l9i 2.

Devices embodyingour invention maybeconstructed in various waysbut in g'eneral they embody an inclined tube having a plurality of circular holes of predetermined diameter therein to permit rivets or other objects; of predetermined smaller diameter to P ss therethrough while other larger rivets or objects pass'on through the tube. Thesmaller' rivets are thus separated from the larger rivets and by forming the tube or tubes with a number of successive sections each having 'holesof slightly larger diameter than those in the precedingsection the rivets may be rapidly classified with a high'degree of accuracy. We have also discovered that the accuracy with which'rivets aresorted and the number of rivets which can be'sortedin a given time is materially increased if thediameter of the tube through which the rivets are passed is limited Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of rivet sorter embodying our invention,

Fig. 2.is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the sorting tube of the device shown in Fig. 1, i

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a portion of the sorting tube shown in Fig. 1 with partbroken away, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the hopper and sortingtube of the device'shown in Fig. l, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1 taken on the line 5-5 thereof. In that form of our invention chosen for purposes of illustration and shown in the figures the tube 2 is open to receive rivets from the hopand means are provided for turning therivets so that they extend across rather than length wise of the tube;

' One of the objects per and is substantially flush with the inner surface of the wall 4. This construction is' found to overcome the tendency of rivets to jam betwee the rotating tube and the adjacent surfaces of the hopper so that the tube rotates smoothly and easilyjwithout injury to the rivets being sorted. d a The upper end of the tube 2 rests upon rollers 8 whereas the lower end of'the tube is provided with a plug Into which a shaft 12 is secured.

A pulley H is fixed on the shaft l2 and driven by a belt l6 froma motor l8 provided with a reduction gear so that the tube rotates relatively slowly. A I

all of the same diameter but the holes of different groups are of progressively greater diameter in passing from the upper end of the tube to the lower end thereof. Thus the holes of group 20 are the smallest, those of group 22 are-some what larger than thos of group 20 and; thoseof group 24 are still larger. The holes ofthe last group 26 are of sufiicient diameter to pass the largest rivets in the accumulations to be sorted andfthe' plug ID in the, end of. the tube. is provided with'openings 28 for discharging any unusual rivets or foreign objects which are too large 'to pass through any of the holes of,'the tube. Separate receptacles 30 are located beneath veach I group of holes and beneath the plug l to'receive the. rivets discharged by each group of holes and thus collect the different sizes'of rivets.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the internal diameter of the tube 2 is relatively small. The internal diameter should not be more than about three times the length of the longest rivets in the accumulations and in practice we prefer to use tubes having an internal diameter only slightly greater than the longest rivets normally found, in the accumulations.

By using a tube of relatively small diameter the rivets are caused to engage the inner surface of the tube at such an angle. that they slip readily into the holes in the tube so as to be gauged thereby. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2 the inner surface of the tube adjacent the holes 32 therein may be countersunkas shown at 34 to aid in, directing the rivets into the holes. If the head or largest diameter portion of the rivet or object being sorted does not exceed the diameter of the hole into which it passes the rivet will fall through the hole and be discharged into the receptacle 3.0 located, beneath that group. of holes. On the other hand, if the shank of arivet slides into a hole and the head of the rivet is too large to pass through the hole, the rivet will, be held againstv discharge. and carried up ward with the tube as. the tuberotates. When the hole through whichthe rivet extends reaches an upper position, the rivet will be inverted, as shown at 36 in Figs. 2 and 3, and drop back into the tube so that it may pass on down the tube to the next group of holes. In this. way each of the rivets is repeatedly gauged for head size or diameter and is only discharged when. it reaches that, group of" holes correspondin in size to the head of that particular rivet.

In order to overcome the tendency of elon gated objects such as rivets to assume positions parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating tube, means are] provided for turning or defleeting the rivets as the tube rotates. Therivets are thus causedto extend across, the tube rather than. lengthwise thereof. and are, positioned so that they will, readily enter the. radially extending holes in the tube." The means employed for this purpose project inward from the inner surface of the tube and preferably extend diametrically across the tube in position to engage the rivets and turn them, into, substantially crosswise positions as the tube rotates. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 bolts 38 extenddiametrically across the tube 2 at numerous pointsalon'g the tube so. that a rivet, .such as that shown at 40 in Fig. 3

will be engaged by the bolt 38 and will be turned crosswise of the tube into the position of the bolt 42 in which the end of the rivet is positioned to enter one of the holesin, the tube. With this construction it is possible to sort elongated objects which are many times longer than the diameter of the holes and to gauge the objects interms of their diameter Without reference to th length of the object.

The bolts 38 preferably are somewhat longer than the diameter of the tube and are provided with head 4:4. on opposite ends thereof so that the bolts are held by the tube but are free to drop back and forth as the tube rotates. The bolts 38 thus serve also as. means for displacing or dislodging any rivets which may tend to become jammed or stuck in the tube.v and aid in the distribution and movements of the rivets through the tube.

It is also found to be advantageous to arrange the hole 32. in stag ered relation as. shown in Figs. 2 and 4- so. that there are no circumferentially extending areas of the tube which have no holes therein and a rivet which. passes between two longitudinally aligned holes when the tube rotates will be directed into ahole staggered with respect to those between which the rivet passed. In thisv way the device serves to insure repeated opportunities for each rivet. to be gauged a it passes through each section of. the tube.

In order to aid. in. the proper admission and distribution of the rivets in the upper end of the tube where they are received from the hopper, members 4eare located about the tube and project inwardly in. advanceof the first group of holes. 20. Clogging, of. the rivets is thereby prevented and they are caused to pass along the tube in a. loose distributed manner, which lnsuresrelativelyfreemovement and tumbling of the rivets within the tube.

In operating devices embodying our invention we prefer to. avoidrotation of. the tube at such speeds that the action of centrifugal force. will prevent proper tumbling and. re-arrangement or movement-ofthe rivets within the tube. For this reason.- the tubeshould. not be. rotated so. that the. surface thereof. travels. more. than. about 40 linear feet per. minuteand preferably travelsonly about 15. linear feet. per minute.

The speed of rotation of the. tube and the angle at which the tube is; inclined as well as. the diameter. of the tube. andthe diameter of the. gaugin holes, in the tube, may'of. course be varied, considerably depending, upon; the variety. and, size of the rivets or'objects, to.- be sorted. In a, typical installation in which. our invention has been used most effectively, the tubeemployedwasfi feetin length. and had an. inside diameter of 11 3" inches. The length of the longest rivets in the mixed accumulations. was. 1 inches. The. tube was in clined. at an angle 0f 5.? and, rotated at a speed of. 27 R..1?. M. The diameter. of. the rivets. varied from, the. smallest. rivets. the heads of. which were. only .174 inch in. diameterv to, the largest. rivets. which had a head .386 inch in diameter. The. holesin the. tube were arranged. in nine. groups corresponding to. the. standard head sizes of the. rivets in. the. accumulations. to be. sorted; and in each instance'were .0.05,inch larger in diameter than the headsize of. the-rivet they were designed to select. I I

With; this construction it was, possible to. sort mixed accumulations of rivets atthe. rate of 27 lbs,v per hourwith. a. remarkable, degree. of accuracy. In fact, the device separated those rivets 2,374,948 having round heads from those rivets having flat heads or brazier head s sincerivets of different head type were found to vary also in head diameter. It is also found that; the diameter of the shank of the rivet generally is so related to the head size that the only further sorting of the rivets obtained from our device that may be required for complete classification thereof is a tudinal axis to cause rivets introduced into the upper end of said tube to pass downward along said tube and to be discharged through those holes to which they correspond, and means located within a length of said tube occupied by a group of holes and engageable by the rivets on sorting for length of the shank. The accuracy of sorting or gauging of rivets by our device is most surprising, since only from 1 to 2% of the rivets in each of the receptacles is found to be improperly classified.

Sorting of the rivets to separate those of one length from those of another for complete classi fication thereof maybe effected by any suitable means such as the device shown and described in the copending application referred to above.

In forming the tube and in order that the inner surface thereof maybe counter-sunk adjacent the holes, it is preferable to drill or punch the holes in a flat sheet and to counter-sink the surface about the holes. The sheet may then be formed into a tube with the counter-sunk surfaces on the interior thereof. The meeting edges of the tube may then be brazed, Welded or merely clamped together to present a smooth continuous inner surface to be engaged by the rivets. Counter-sinking of the tube about the outer extremities of the holes has also been found to be desirable since the rivetsthen are released more readily when they slide back into the tube after the shank has projected through a hole too small to allow the head to pass therethrough. This operation also may be performed most readily before the sheet is formed into a tube.

Instead of providing the tube with means which rotation of the tube for deflecting the rivets so that they extend in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tube rather than parallel thereto and are positioned so that they may pass through said holes.

2. A device for sorting mixed accumulations of elongated objects such as rivets or the like, comprising a tube presenting a lower surfa'ce'located in an inclined position and formed with a plurality of circular holes extending radially through the walls of the tube and of different predetermined diameters corresponding to the diameters of the heads of rivets in the accumulations to be sorted, said holes being arranged in groups throughout successive lengths of the tube with those holes of smallest diameter occupying a length of the tube located above a length of the tube occupied by those holes of larger diameter,

extend diametrically across the tube for turning the rivets cross-wise therein, other inwardly extending projections or means may be formed thereon or located within the tube for engagement with the rivets to turn them within the tube as the tube rotates. Similarly it will'be apparent that any desired number of groups of holes may be employed and the rivets or objects collected in the last receptacle may bepassed through another tube or sorting device to classify the larger objects.

These and other modifications and changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the elements used in the practice of our invention, and in view thereof the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing is intended to be illustrative only and is not. intended to limit the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for sorting mixed accumulations of elongated objects such as rivets or thalike, comprising a tube presenting a lower surface located in an inclined position and formed with a plurality of circular holes extending radially through the Walls of the tube and of different predetermined'diameterscorresponding to the diameters of the heads of rivets in the accumulations to be sorted, said holes being arranged in groups throughout successive lengths of the tube with those holes of smallest diameter occupying a length of the tube located above a length of the tube occupied by those holes of larger diameter,

means for rotating said tube about its longimeans for rotating said tube about its longitudinal axis to cause rivets introduced into the upper end of said tube to pass downward along said tube and to be discharged through those holes to which they correspond, and members extending inward from the inner surface of the tube within a length of the tube occupied by a group of holes and engageable by the rivets on rotation of the tube for deflecting the rivets sothat they extend in directions transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tube rather than parala length of the tube located above a length of the tube occupied by those holes of larger diameter, means for rotating said tube about its longitudinal axis to causerivets introduced into the upper end of said tube to pass downward along "said tube and to be discharged through those holes to which they correspond, and members extending diametrically across the tube within a.

length thereof occupied by a group of holes and engageable by the rivets on rotation of the tube for deflecting the rivets so that they extend in directions transverse to thelongitudinal axis of the tube rather than parallel thereto and are positioned so that they may pass through said holes.

4. A rivet sorter of the character defined by claim 2 in which the members that extend inward from the inner surface of the tube for deflecting the rivets, are also movable relative to the tube on rotation thereof to displace the rivets and aid in preventing clogging of the rivets within the tube. v

HERBERT Q. NIEDERER. OTTO C. NIEDERER. 

